Chapter 129 My Lord
"I've only been away from home for a few days, and there's already another person in the family?"
Back home, Er Ya glanced sideways at Sha Niu and Hui Gu, growing angrier the more she looked.
All along the way, she thought Huigu was hired, but she never expected her to be a relative who had come to seek refuge!
"Life is already hard enough. We have a good-for-nothing, and now we have to add this old woman to the mix. How many more years can she work? We'll have to take care of her in her old age. What are you thinking? How can you even manage to live like this?"
The silly girl swept the yard with a broom. There were many fallen leaves in autumn, and they would fly into the yard from time to time.
Huigu feeds grass to the horse.
Sanya was playing with stones in the yard.
Daya sighed and said softly, "Erya, don't say that. Mother said that Auntie and we will be family from now on."
Why can't this girl change this bad habit? She says things that offend people so much.
"Second sister, you can't talk about your great-aunt!" Sanya looked up.
"You're all so kind-hearted, I'm the bad guy!"
Er Ya was furious, thinking to herself, "Who is she doing this for? Isn't it just because she's worried about her mother being too tired?"
"Hmph, you guys are the most annoying!"
Er Ya stomped her foot and ran out.
Ye Wan came out of the house after counting her assets. "Where's Er Ya? I just heard her voice. What happened to her?"
Da Ya said, "She went out, probably to find her girlfriends."
"When will this girl ever get rid of her habit of showing off? Oh well, let her be."
Ye Wan came over to Hui Gu, "Aunt, I'll trouble you and Sha Niu to build the house. I'll go to Liu Da's house and see if we can finish the carriage as soon as possible."
With the addition of Aunt Cai and Old Man Ke, at least two more rooms need to be built, and Ye Wan also wants to add a stove to the kitchen.
Liu Da from the village is skilled in carpentry. Hui Gu drew up the blueprints, and Liu Da should be able to make it by following them.
"Father, Mother, please rest in my room. I'll be right back."
Ye Wan took the blueprints and went to order the carriages.
Now that the house is safe, Ye Wan is much more at ease. Putting aside Hui Gu, just the silly girl standing there would make most people think twice before causing trouble.
People have come to visit again; it's impossible to keep it a secret from the village.
When asked, Ye Wan, as usual, told the story that he was a distant relative of Lin An and had fled from disaster.
People will at most gossip a little, saying that since Lin Anyuan isn't here, these relatives have come. They wondered why they never saw them come to visit when Lin Anyuan was here.
That's all that's said; everyone lives their own life eventually.
Before the house was built, Sha Niu and Hui Gu would squeeze into the kitchen at night.
A few days later, Wang Ming arrived.
Carrying a cloth bag, he knocked on the courtyard gate, saying, "This is what your eldest sister asked me to bring to you."
The leaf was bent open, and inside the cloth bag were four bushels of rice.
"By the way, you guys shouldn't go to the prefectural city recently. I heard an official was killed, and the soldiers are searching everywhere. It's very chaotic."
There was no white rice for sale in town, so Wang Ming went to the prefectural city to buy some.
"We just returned from the prefectural city a few days ago. Was it the county magistrate who died?" Ye Wan hadn't heard the news in the village.
"No, he's an official from the capital. The village should be fine."
Ye Wan was relieved to hear that the village would not be affected for the time being.
"How is my older sister doing in the village? Is anyone bullying her?"
Ye Wan didn't care about anything else, only about how her family was doing.
Ye Hua's thoughtfulness in sending her white rice shows her consideration.
Wang Ming blushed. "No, she doesn't usually go out much. She came out today to ask me to help her buy some things."
Wang Ming blushed at the mention of Ye Hua, while Ye Wan remained silent.
"Rice in the prefectural city is too expensive to afford, so I only bought this much."
Wang Ming himself couldn't bear to buy any, so he only bought some coarse grains, which he would have to eat sparingly when he got back, otherwise the winter would be hard to get through.
"I'll go with you to see my eldest sister."
Ye Wan hasn't seen Ye Hua for a while, so she'd better go and see her to put her mind at ease.
Huigu spoke from the courtyard, "Silly girl, you come along."
"No need, let's hurry up and build the house. I can manage on my own in the village."
She also has her own means of survival.
"Little sister, what brings you here? Is anything missing at home? How are the children?"
Ye Hua was very happy to see Ye Wan. She hadn't seen Ye Hua for a while and she looked thinner.
The Ye sisters probably took after their father, who died young, as they were all quite good-looking.
"I have everything I need, but you, rice is so expensive, what were you thinking?" Ye Wan hadn't come empty-handed, of course; she had brought some eggs and meat.
Life was tough, especially when meat was scarce.
These eggs were laid by chickens in the space, and eating them is good for you.
The meat was something she had bought beforehand, and it wouldn't spoil if stored in her spatial storage. She had deliberately carried a basket when she went out to avoid attracting attention, so Wang Ming assumed she had it at home.
"I was just thinking that since you like to eat this, and Wang Ming had the connections to buy it, I sent it to you. You're allowed to send me things, but I can't send things to you?" Ye Hua pretended to be angry.
As the older sister, she never took care of her younger sister; instead, she benefited a lot from her younger sister's success.
Is Sister Hua home?
The two sisters were talking when there was a knock on the courtyard gate.
"It's Yingzi,"
Ye Hua opened the door, and Yingzi came in.
Yingzi handed over a bowl of sweet potatoes, saying, "Grandma asked me to bring you some."
There's no one left at her home; she's currently living at Wang Ming's house.
Ye Hua hurriedly waved her hand, "Everyone is having a hard time, and winter is just around the corner, so I won't keep it."
These sweet potatoes are essential for winter, and a bowl of them could be life-saving in a critical moment, so she couldn't possibly accept them.
Yingzi frowned and said softly, "But Ming-ge also said that if you don't take it, he'll personally deliver it, which will damage your reputation..."
His voice trailed off as he glanced at Ye Hua's expression, then noticed the eggs Ye Wan had brought and swallowed hard.
Ye Hua's expression changed slightly.
"I'll put that down and I'm leaving." Yingzi said, putting down a bowl of sweet potatoes and hurriedly turning around and running out.
Ye Wan noticed a hint of jealousy in Yingzi's eyes as she looked at Ye Hua, but she wasn't sure if she was mistaken.
"Are people in the village gossiping?"
She said that Wang Ming's intentions would be seen through by someone with ulterior motives sooner or later, and in the end, it would be Ye Hua who would suffer.
Now Yingzi has arrived... At this time, it is permissible for close relatives to marry, and Wang Ming and Yingzi are not close relatives.
Ye Hua's expression returned to normal. "They're just a bunch of gossipy women. It's natural that a widow like me is easily talked about. It's alright."
It has always been said that widows often face a lot of gossip and trouble.
Ye Wan said, "Come live with me. I'm worried about leaving you here alone."
Previously, she was wary of Wang Hu, but now that Wang Hu is dead, Ye Hua can stay as long as she wants after she goes there.
"I'm still in mourning, it wouldn't be good for the children if I moved there, and the village probably wouldn't agree." Ye Hua wanted to go, but the village probably wouldn't disagree.
"I'll think of something in a while. Remember to lock the door when you sleep, and keep a knife close to your body. Also, keep the powder I gave you with you at all times."
Ye Wan thought that once the house was built, she would give some gifts to Village Chief Wang, and the matter would be resolved.
"I understand, don't worry."
Ye Wan spoke for a while before leaving.
Ye Hua looked at the meat and eggs that Ye Wan had brought, thought for a moment, cut off two ounces and sent them to the neighbor next door.
Ye Hua had just delivered the meat and was about to cook when Wang Ming arrived.
"Flower, I've come to chop firewood for you."
Wang Ming glanced shyly at Ye Hua, then went over to get the machete from the kitchen doorway.
Ye Hua felt a little awkward. "Wang Ming, you should just call me sister-in-law. I can do these chores myself. I'm used to doing them at home, so I don't need your help."
Rumors are already circulating in the village about her, a widow...
Wang Ming got anxious. "I'm a man, and our two families are neighbors. Besides, you've always taken good care of my grandma. You even brought us some meat just now. I can't be ungrateful."
Wang Hu was right to die. Every time Wang Ming thought this way, he felt that his mind was rather dark.
Now the opportunity has finally arrived.
He just loves leaves and flowers; he liked them the first time he saw them.
The courtyard gate was open. Yingzi stared at it jealously for a while before leaving.
Back in the village, the village chief was calling a meeting with the villagers.
"I've heard there's chaos and turmoil outside. We must prevent a repeat of last time where people take advantage of the chaos to burn, kill, and loot. Each of you should be on guard..."
Everyone was talking at once, sharing the news they had heard, which was mostly about the rebels.
Ye Wan walked to the village chief's side and said, "If the village chief trusts me, he can unite with the village chiefs of other villages and gather all the men in the village together. Then, even if someone tries to do something in the chaos, they will have to think twice."
The village chief, remembering that Ye Wan had some connection with the Liu family, nodded and said, "I'll listen to you."
Ye Wan thought that if the rebels really attacked, she would take her family up the mountain to take refuge, and nothing would happen.
On her way back, Ye Wan ran into Widow Tian.
"I heard you have a lot of guests, so bring some pickled vegetables." Widow Tian was still a little reserved when she saw Ye Wan.
This time, instead of carrying a basket, he simply carried a bamboo basket on his back, inside which was a large jar.
This is mainly because she rarely goes out.
"Sister-in-law, you're so kind. We've run out of food at home, and I was just about to come over and ask you for some." Ye Wan took the basket from her; it was quite heavy.
Ye Wan wasn't entirely lying; the pickled food was indeed delicious, but eating too much of it wasn't healthy.
Seeing that she genuinely liked the dish and that it wasn't just polite talk, Widow Tian smiled sincerely and said, "I don't know anything else, this skill was passed down to me by my mother."
"The craftsmanship is passed down from our ancestors; we could sell it for a living."
"Can this be sold?" Widow Tian was somewhat tempted.
After thinking for a moment, he gritted his teeth and said, "Madam Ye, if you have any connections, please help me out. You can keep half of the money from the sale."
The family's food supplies were running low, and her son was at a crucial stage of growth and ate a lot, so Widow Tian was worried that there wouldn't be enough food for them.
"I can give it a try, sister-in-law, wait for news." Seeing that Widow Tian was grateful, Ye Wan was willing to lend a hand.
If there were no war, she would have to find other ways to make money.
Widow Tian was extremely grateful. "Whether it works out or not, thank you so much."
Ye Wan took the large jar back, and her family gathered around to look at it.
"The villagers are all very nice, except for a few." Ye Wan took a bite of pickled vegetables and wondered if she could sell them to Xilailou.
Huigu continued, "The way the village solves problems is also simple. The people of Minxian County I've been traveling through have lived a pretty good life."
Ye Wan turned to look at her, "Auntie, you must come from a wealthy family, right?"
Putting aside his kung fu skills, at his age, his demeanor and way of speaking are unlike those of an ordinary person.
Huigu smiled and said, "What wealthy family? I'm just a refugee."
Ye Wan also smiled.
Who are they trying to fool? Aunt Hui and Aunt Cai are clearly not simple people.
...
...
Three months have passed in the blink of an eye, and it's already December.
On a snowy day, Lin Anyuan finally met the master that Chu Xiujie had mentioned.
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